True.

It is behind many of the 'improvements', but the safety/liability issues are not led by legislation. The governments of this world are generally interested in emissions, not safety standards. Those have largely been left to the various NCAP organisations and the likes of IIHS, who have standards (in passive safety) waaaay over anything in the Regs.

From another angle, while car companies are offering customers the current levels of power (Camries making more HP than Carrera 2.7RSs??!) to the average customer, these 'aids' are necessary. One, to protect the road-users and Two, which is in alignment with your point, to appear 'responsible'.

As before, one's driving engagement and complacency is what one makes of it, ESC/TC/poor steering feel,etc, etc fall to the wayside when we consider the amount of distractions open to the modern driver....mobile phones, complicated dashes, stupid instrument layouts, isolation from road/surrounding noises and....cupholders

ESC, ASC+T, ABS, TCS, ASR, and other electronic nannies are like auto spell checkers

By: ThomasM : November 23rd, 2012-14:12

I just had a light bulb moment (well, it was inspired by the umpteenth time I know I typed something in correctly, even read it correctly, but then when I get the reply email with my original email appended, there is an appalling and obvious malapropism. ...

Not to mention now there's blind spot assist...

By: sten : November 23rd, 2012-15:33

Lane keeping assist, and pre-safe brake. The things designed to make us safer on the road are making some into lazy and dangerous drivers.

totally agree, Sten. Instead of the billions on nannies, I wish the government would

By: ThomasM : November 24th, 2012-14:32

enforce stricter licensing and renewals. The majority of American drivers are basically alseep at the wheels; add to that the fairly low level of technical knowledge with car dynamics (American roads are engineered for at least double the rated speed limi...

And our constant reliance on brute force (tonnage) and blame displacement

By: cazalea : November 25th, 2012-08:55

I have too many friends whose only automotive shopping criteria seems to be high (visibility), large (safety), powerful - with the verbally-expressed goal "if I get in an accident at least I won\'t be the one that gets hurt, it will be the other people." ...

Is the regulatory landscape...

By: BDLJ : November 25th, 2012-17:03

...responsible for the 'decreasing levels of engagement'? How many of the aforementioned 'nannies' are legislated for? ABS? And how many are promoted by the OEMs in their technology races? [As an aside: Victoria, Australia has recently legislated for ESP ...

Agreed on all points, but I still maintain my position that...

By: ThomasM : November 25th, 2012-17:46

legislation (and the fear of legislation and the fear of legal liability) is behind much of the so called "safety" improvements that are (at the risk of sounding like a Luddite) mostly simply increasing the level of disengagement from the physics of drivi...

True.

By: BDLJ : November 25th, 2012-20:29

Even worse- cars that drive themselves...

By: mrsnak : November 26th, 2012-18:38

This concept, though born from the Atomic age, seems to have finally taken hold and is now seriously considered with working prototypes.

Would like to have "IQAssist" or "ReasonAssist" widely implemented ...

By: Marcus Hanke : November 29th, 2012-00:56

... imagine a soft-toned machine-voice (remember K.I.T.T.?) stating: "Sir, I found you too stupid to drive. Please back from this car and use the public commuting services." I think this would really improve the safety on the street ..... unless it's me m...